[SISTERS] The Ultimate Guide to Reversing Hijabi Neglect

Deciding to wear hijab can be an overwhelming life change for a Muslim woman. Dealing with the social and spiritual consequences of this decision is more than enough to keep us busy. Unfortunately, this new spiritual development can come at the cost of one’s physical well-being. Wearing hijab is not simply a fashion modification; it is symbolic of a shift in focus from the Dunya to the Akhirah. This shift can be even more overwhelming for new Muslimahs due to their additional lifestyle modifications. The lifestyle modifications that usually parallel the adoption of hijab can be conducive to weight gain and a sedentary lifestyle.

After careful reflection, it occurred to me that my self-confidence and self-worth were directly tied to the reinforcement I received from others about my appearance. My tight clothes and attention grabbing party personality was not “who I was” but a way to satisfy my inner desires to be loved and feel attractive. Although wearing hijab made me a more spiritual person and shifted my attention from certain worldly vices, it did not solve my cravings for attention. Without the reinforcement from others, I stopped caring for myself; I was completely detached from my desirability and worth. Without being able to exploit my sexuality and attractiveness, I abandoned them. Early in my time as a revert, I was misguided to believe that a Muslim woman’s physical appearance is irrelevant because she does not exploit or showcase her beauty. Despite my earlier focus on appearances, I never made the connection between my previous values and the sudden self-imposed neglect of my physical appearance.

Before Islam, being noticed by others was something through which I valued myself. Something I never considered was what would happen to my self-confidence if I could no longer depend on the validation of others. It sounds silly now, but I never realised that caring for my body was important whether or not anyone sees the fruits of that labour. Similar to the student that does not see the value of an ungraded assignment, I only saw value when an evaluation was given by someone other than me.

Despite the fact that reversion to Islam is a spiritual and intellectual experience, it is not healthy to neglect the physical aspects of life. Islam teaches us to remain on the middle path and to not exist in polar extremes. A vital aspect of this balance is the maintenance of an amanah (trust) given to you by Allah: your body.

Although maintaining one’s physical self and properly caring for one’s body is an important responsibility of a human being and a Muslim, it is one that is rarely discussed in the Muslim community. Physical fitness and proper nutrition for Muslim women is another topic that is also disregarded, sometimes for cultural reasons.

In this modern age, there are plenty of halal ways to enjoy keeping healthy and to prevent weight gain.

Here are my tips to reversing what I call, “hijabi neglect”.

1. Set your intention

Your physical health is a blessing provided to you by Allah . You must guard and protect that blessing in order to preserve it. Allah says: “Truly, We did offer Al-Amanah (the trust or moral responsibility or honesty and all the duties which Allah has ordained) to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it (i.e., afraid of Allah’s torment). But man bore it. Verily, he was unjust (to himself) and ignorant (of its results).” [Quran; Surah 33, Verse 72]

2. Invest in a scale

Although weight is not a sole measure of health, it is a valuable way to keep you accountable.

3. Pamper yourself

Dress up once a month, even if you are not going to leave the house. Spend a day at the spa. Take a bubble bath. Do whatever makes you feel special and desirable. It can be too easy to be lured into a daily routine of sweatpants and pyjamas after spending all day wearing hijab. It is easy to feel unattractive and frumpy in your Dad’s old ripped t-shirt and pyjama pants. Although not the main focus of keeping healthy, feeling attractive can be a great mood booster and motivator.

4. Explore home exercise

Exercising at a gym or spending lots of money are not requirements to stay fit! A five minute YouTube video search will generate countless exercise videos available from the privacy of your own home, as well as the vast number of apps with exercise regimes and plans to track your progress. If you do not have a computer or find the videos difficult, an old school solution to fitness is available for little cost: a skipping rope. Skipping is a fabulous exercise that is portable, cheap and accessible anywhere. Hop to it!

5. Start an exercise group

Making healthy habits stick is easier to do with the help of a partner or support group. If your community lacks a women’s exercise group, start one! Walking and hiking are great exercises and social activities that can be enjoyed for free. The extra doses of vitamin D you will get from the sunshine is a delightful bonus.

6. Organise a “Health Awareness Day” with sisters at the masjid or with your local Muslim service organisation

Too many people in the Muslim community are unaware of the importance of proper diet and exercise. Due to cultural preconceptions, some might even believe that it is haram or simply superfluous for women to engage in such activities. If no one is talking about it, things will not change.

7. Regular fasting

Aside from the spiritual aspect of fasting, there are many health benefits to fasting. Fasting shifts our focus away from food as an indulgence and source of pleasure and forces us to observe it as sustenance.

8. Eat to live; do not live to eat

Too often we rely on food to serve as our halal entertainment and pleasure. It is good to focus on the 80/20 rule. At least 80% of the time, eat foods for their nutritional value and benefits. Limit indulgences to less than 20% of the time. Of course there is no magic formula for health, but as Muslims it should be our focus to remain in balance.

9. Do something active and adventurous

Instead of going out to eat with friends, take a hike, kayak, ride bicycles, engage in a new fitness class or go old-school and play tag. Mix it up and be unafraid. Simply walking around the mall with proper shoes can be exercise; no excuses!

10. Love yourself

Your body is a trust from Allah . He has provided you with only one; appreciate all that it can do and its utter uniqueness.

These reminders are by no means all-encompassing or the only ways to maintain health. They are also not limited to those who wear hijab. All Muslim women, whether wearing hijab or not, need to be aware of their bodies and how to respect them. Too often women are weighed down by obligations and equate taking care of themselves to indulgences. Investing in yourself will not only make you a better mother, sister, daughter and wife, but also it will make you a better and more capable Muslim. Taking care of our bodies and souls is the only way to true balance and success.

About the Author:

K.T Lynn currently resides in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with her Saudi husband. She is an English teacher, blogger, freelance writer and editor. K.T enjoys travelling, cooking, reading and writing non-fiction.
Her blog, Yankee Doodle Saudi, chronicles her experiences as a Muslim, expat, American and wife of a Saudi.
You may contact her at therevertdiaries@gmail.com

This is an awesome article. Muslim women really need to read this and understand the importance of physical self care. Thank you for your honest and insightful article. May Allah (swt) bless you and your family.

As women we are often so busy taking care of our husbands, children, family, friends and even co-workers that all too often we forget about ourselves! This was an important reminder to me to carve out “me” time. Thanks!

I think a lot of times women can feel guilty for doing something solely for themselves because we are constantly in the position of caregiver…but this me time can make us better wives and mothers :) Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

Alhamdulillah, such a good article. It can be very hard for reverts to know where to start! There is so much to think about when we start to wear a scarf. It can be very also be very enabling and gives us a big boost of self esteem. Barak Allahu feeki.

It is so true that wearing hijab is a lifestyle and it does not come with a how-to guide! :) It is unfortunate that so many things are left unsaid about us covering! :) Jazak’Allah khair for reading and commenting!

AsalamualAkum l am very happy to read your email on such a good topics .the topic was on hijab , I do follow hijab but was not so concerned about myself, inshala I ll work to change my this attitude
jazzakhallah hu khair,

Another angle to this is that Muslim husbands need to reinforce the ideas expressed in this article. Most Muslim women function within their families and need the support of their spouses to make a significant change in their health. This translates into offering to watch the kids, helping out with household chores to help her free up time and of course lots of emotional support!

Jazak’Allah khair for making such an important point. In order for us to take the time needed to care for ourselves support has to come from our loved ones. As you stated, the balance of household duties or childcare responsibilities must be split in order to ensure that both parties have some personal time to focus on being productive Muslims :)

Salaam, Sister. This is a very superficial article and poorly researched on. This is the more reason we husbands must acquire knowledge to assist our families. What is done in this article is to discuss some few physical exercise gleefully, EVEN THE QUATATIONS FROM THE GLORIOUS QUR’AAN were poorly juxtaposed for relevance and yet it is tittled “ULTIMATE…..”.Please whoever wants to assist us, the Muslim ummah, from amongst us should know we learned and knowledgeable people, AlhamduliLLAH, and should strive to write quality articles for international audience. Don’t waste our time, please. May ALLAH SubhaanaHU wa Ta’aalaa continue to guide us and improve us. May the best of ALLAH’S salutations, blessings and peace be with HIS MESSENGER, MUHAMMADURRASUULULLAH

I think it’s a well written article that encourages the Muslim woman to maintain a balance in life, adapt a healthy lifestyle and in cooperate good routines into our lives. And the response you are writing is harsh. Kindness is a character that is encouraged in this religion .

I read this article to share with my spouses as well as being generally informed. However, i see a pattern with the venerable ‘doctor’ as this is not the first time he is trashing articles. If he intends to correct then let it be done constructively. At the risk of being accused of curtailing freedom of speech, i am even inclined to ask the Productive Muslim in future to moderate such responses. It does not add value to the discussion as the delivery of a message is as important as the content. Wabillahi Tawfiq

Assalamu alikum sister , nice article mashallah, the message in the article is very true that muslim womens along with the hijab should also concentrate on their health and physical fitness, thank u so much for useful tips then only a women can gain goals in deen and her families.

I think a main point missed out was being able to aim your sexuality and attractiveness towards your husband. Unfortunately, the most attractive women, who might have spent hours getting ready in order to get recognition and attention from society, once married, neglect their appearance (especially if ‘religious’. A woman to get ‘ready’ for her husband is an act which brings with it much reward. We are not asked to ignore our desires in Islam, but to redirect them in a halal manner and outlet, alongside having a limit on everything. For the limitless place of desires is saved for the believers – Jannah inshallah. May Allah help us to look good for ourselves, and our spouses, and get the reward of Paradise in doing so. Ameen.

Assalamu alaikum, editor for Productive Muslimah here! You make a very valid point sister! Sisters should aim to reverse the hijabi neglect in an effort to please our husbands and, in this way, Allah (swt).

Asslkm Masha Allah Well written! Investing in ourselves in a halal manner wl make us more capable. In hijab we can still pursue our interests n desires in a righteous way. May Allah swt bless u n reward u

SubhanAllah… A neglected side of our lives. People forget that exercise is not just to maintain our body but also to FEEL GOOD. And of course think how our partners will appreciate our efforts. And we will feel good about ouourselve because of a good body. :) nice article.

Asalaamu Alaikum Salaam, thanks so much for this article. It’s so needed, I run into so many sisters who are struggling with obesity and associated hypertension and diabetes. It’s scary because some think it’s the norm and feel like working out is haraam. The more we communicate permissible and halal ways to ‘preserve the sexy’ the better our self-esteem will be.

Salam alaykum, as a revert, hijabi and physically active sister, let me say how good it is to see more sisters (outside of Malaysia and Singapore) taking an honest interest in their health and fitness….FINALLY. I am really so discouraged by people, especialy women, who use hijab as an excuse why they can’t/won’t get fit or worse why I shouldn’t. Our bodies and our health is an amaanah, and I’m so glad that the word is spreading. There is no reason why diabetes and heart disease (among other lifestyle illnesses) should be so common amongst the muslims. It shows that we are ignorant of the sunnah.

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